Non-Standard Employment in Europe : Paradigms, Prevalence and Policy Responses

Postwar employment standards are being undermined and 'non-standard' employment is becoming more common. While scholars have pointed to negative consequences of this development, this volume also discusses the evidence for a new and socially inclusive European employment standard.

''Non-standard'' employment is becoming more common. Fewer people are working full-time and/or have permanent employment contracts; more are working part-time, have fixed-term contracts or are self-employed. Many scholars have pointed to the negative consequences of this development, including ''precarious'' forms of employment and in-work poverty. This volume provides a thorough theoretical and empirical analysis of these processes by understanding the ''destandardization'' of employment in Europe and the associated modifications in socio-economic regulation both at national and EU level. The book provides country studies of the UK, Spain, Germany, Poland, Croatia, and the Nordic countries and offers comparative European analyses of part-time and fixed-term employment in relation to in-work poverty, exclusion and anomie. Emphasis is on ''best practice'' in the governance of non-standard employment. Is there evidence for a new and socially inclusive European employment standard?